ASSOCIATION OF EPICARDIAL FAT THICKNESS WITH EJECTION FRACTION IN PATIENTS WITH HEART FAILURE

Background: Heart failure (HF) has significant mortality and morbidity worldwide and affects more than 37 million people. The mortality and morbidity when the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is > 40 %, is similar when there is low ejection fraction (LVEF < 40 %), and there is an increasing health problem. Studies have shown that epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) has a role in HF pathogenesis. A proinflammatory process on the basis of HF has been shown to be related to EAT. Aim: We aimed to investigate ejection fraction and epicardial adipose tissue relationship. Methods: 159 symptomatic HF patients (New York Heart Association functional class ≥II) were included in our study. Age, gender, height, weight, body mass index, waist and demographic characteristics (diabetes mellitus, hypertension, smoking-nonsmoking, coronary artery disease) of all patients were recorded. Results: We examined 159 HF patients. In our population 46 (28.9 %) patients were female and 113 (71.1 %) patients, male. The mean age of our patients was calculated as 67.4 ± 12.6 years. In our study population 69 (43.4 %) of our patients had diabetes and 93 (58.5 %) had hypertension. 77 (48.4 %) of our patients had a history of smoking. We separated our patients into two groups: LV systolic function in HF with LVEF > 40 % (n: 36) and HF with reduced ejection fraction, LVEF < 40 % (n: 123). In our study EAT, LVEF, LVDD (left ventricular diastolic diameter), LVSD (left ventricular systolic diameter), diastolic septum wall thickness and diastolic posterior wall thickness had differences between groups. Differences in LVEF, LVDD, LVSD, diastolic septum wall thickness and diastolic posterior wall thickness were determined. Conclusions: Epicardial fat thickness and LVEF had a positive correlation in heart failure patients.